Welcome to La Junta and Southeast Colorado! 
"Where the Santa Fe Trail Divides"

Our six-county region is rich in beauty and wealthy in attractions.  Down in our part of the country, we don’t let those mountains get in the way of your view!  Green, rolling hills flow alongside the Arkansas River, the route of the historic Santa Fe Trail.  Dozens of crystal blue lakes and reservoirs lure wildlife as well as recreationists.  Preserved grasslands and canyon lands whisper of pioneers’ adventures as they traveled through and settled in the region.

In addition to the featured sites, you’ll find plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the performance theaters, fine arts centers, golf courses, award-winning parks and more.

So stop, shop and see the sights La Junta and Southeast Colorado have to offer!

[ Bent's Old Fort NHS ]  [ Boggsville ]  [ Comanche National Grasslands ]
[ John Martin State Park ]  [ Kit Carson Museum ]  [ Koshare Indian Museum ]
[ Otero Museum ]  [ Colorado Boys Ranch ]  [ While you’re here… ]
[ Parks, Playgrounds, Schools and Ball Fields ]
[ [ Lodging ]

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site

Contact:  Park Manager
Phone: (719) 384-2596

Brief Info: This reconstructed trading post was once the frontier hub from which American trade and influence radiated south into Mexico, west into the Great Basin and north to southern Wyoming. The Fort was originally built in 1833-34 by brothers Charles and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain. It became the most important port of call and depot between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The trade was a triad: trappers/mountain men; Mexican trade and Indian tribes (Southern Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Ute, Northern Apache, Kiowa and Comanche.

Visit Bent's Old Fort on the Web!

Contact: Dr. Richard Carrillo
Phone: (719) 456-0453

Brief Info: Boggsville is located on the Purgatorie River two miles south of present day Las Animas. The settlement was founded around 1862 by Thomas O. Boggs, his wife Rumalda Luna Bent (as stepdaughter of Charles Bent), L.A. Allen and Charles Ritc. In last 1867, the noted frontiersman, Kit Carson, moved to Boggsville, his last home before his death in 1868 at Ft. Lyon. During the period 1867 through 1873, until the arrival of the railroad, Boggsville became the regional center for agriculture, government, commerce and culture. In 1985, the site was acquired by the Pioneer Historical Society of Bent County. Restoring these structures is the major focus of the revitalization program.

Contact: Colleen Oquist, U.S. Forest Service
Phone: (719) 384-2181

Brief Info:
Comanche National Grasslands - The primary purpose of the Grasslands is teh management of 419,495 acres or range lands and another is Wildlife Management of approximately 275 different species of birds that use or life here. Quail, pheasant, dove, bald eagle, golden eagle, ducks, geese and hawks, lesser prairie chickens and longbill curlew are just a few. There are just about forty different species of reptiles, nine amphibians, eleven fish, and lion, bear, antelope, fox, and bobcat are among the mammals. Primary wildlife activity on the Grassland is in habitat management improvement. The Grasslands are transversed by a portion of the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail.

Picketwire and Vogal Canyons - Geologically scenic Vogel Canyon is a tributary on the Purgatorie River drainage. Two permanent springs located at the bottom of the canyon support a variety of wildlife. Four hiking trails take you to the canyon bottom and mesa top while walking through short prairie grass and juniper trees. Native Americans lived in the canyon 300-800 years ago and left rock art visible on the canyon walls. These park areas provide picnic grounds and hiking trails with a variety of difficulty and length. Hikers must beware of rattlesnakes and scorpions, as well as pack appropriate dress for late afternoon showers.

Dinosaur Tracks - The dinosaur tracks were a well-guarded secret until letters in Life Magazine and Scientific American in 1935 reported the existence of dinosaur track ways in the Purgatorie Valley, called Rio De Las Animas Pedidas or River of Lost Souls. Approximately a half-century later, the tracks have come under serious scientific investigation. The tracksite is considered to be the largest continuously mapped site in North America with over 1,300 footprints in four different layer of rock. The particular strata formation is famous for producing dinosaurs such as brontosaurus/apatosaurus, stegosaurus and allousaurus.

Contact: Army Corp. of  Engineers
Phone: (719) 336-3476

Brief Info: John Martin and Lake Hasty are located off Hwy 50 near Hasty. This Corps of Engineers facility offers fishing year round. The 1939 Roosevelt approval meant the government would spend millions on buying more than 20,000 acres of land and 21 miles of Santa Fe Railroad tracks would have to be moved. Due to WWII, it wasn't until 1946 when the project was back on track and finally completed in 1948. The length of the dam is 2.6 miles with a height of 118 feet. Its discharge capacity is 639,200 feet with a drainage area of 18,913 square miles. John Martin Reservoir is scheduled to become a National Historic Site within the year 2000.

Brief Info: The structure once used to house German prisoners of war captured during WWII and later as housing quarters for Jamaicans working in the fields is now the site of the Kit Carson Museum in Las Animas.. The Kit Carson Museum opened in 1961 and operates mostly on private donations from visitors. Information on many people who once lived in Bent County is featured in the Museum

Contact: Executive Director
Phone: (719) 384-4411

Brief Info: The Koshare Indian Museum houses on of the largest collections of Native American art and artifacts in the world. This extensive Plains and Southwest art collection includes such items as basketry, pottery, paintings, sculptures and textiles. In addition, the Koshare Indian Library contains many unique, first edition, and out-of-print books, relating to Native American history, crafts, and stories. Both the museum an library provide a tremendous resource in terms of a local, regional and national perspective. The museum is also the home of Boy Scout Troop 232 and Venturing Crew 230 of the Rocky Mountain Council, Boy Scouts of America. They are known as the Koshare Indian Dancers and fro over 65 years, they have provide interpretive Native American dance and lore for people during the Summer and Winter performances and other shows at home, as well as across the nation. The Koshare Indian Museum is located 18 blocks south of Highway 50 (First Street) in La Junta, on the campus of Otero Junior College. 

Contact: Don Lowman, President
Phone: (719) 384-7500 or 7406

Brief Info: Since opening in 1984, the Otero Museum has acquired an extensive collection of exhibits, pictures and artifacts which tell the history of La Junta, Otero County and the surrounding area. An important part of local history is the Wickham Boarding House originally built in Granada, Colorado in 1875. When the Santa Fe Railroad moved west to La Junta, the small boarding house was loaded on a railroad flat car and moved west to La Junta in 1876. Many other interesting items have been assembled together to make the visit enjoyable, educational and informative.

Contact: Chuck Thompson - President
Phone: (719) 384-5981

Brief Info:  Although not considered a tourist site, visitors are welcome Mon-Fri 8:00-4:00 p.m. and weekends by appointment. The Colorado Boys Ranch is certainly an economic asset to the community and the Arkansas Valley. Colorado Boys Ranch is a non-profit, JCAHO accredited, multi-service mental health organization treating adolescent males from throughout the county. The Ranch provides special programs such as animals assisted therapy, chaplainry and pre-vocational education. This facility has been featured on NBC Nightly News, PBS Nature Series, The Discovery Channel, The History Channel, as well as in Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. Colorado Boys Ranch is located at 28071 Hwy. 109, La Junta, CO 81050.

Holbrook Lake - Northwest of La Junta, Fishing, big/small game hunting, water sports, water-skiing, wildlife watching, and camping.

La Junta Municipal Golf Course - Enjoy the wonderful weather nearly year round on this beautiful, 9-hole course featuring a restaurant and full-service bar. 27696 Harris Road, La Junta, CO 81050 - (719) 384-7133.

Picketwire Players - Make sure to bring the family to see the performances put on by the talented actors and actresses year round. Call for tickets and a schedule of performances. 802 San Juan, La Junta, CO 81050 - (719) 384-8320

Santa Fe National Historic Trail - U.S. Highway 350 from La Junta to Trinidad follows the route of the ("Mountain Route") Santa Fe Trail. This trail epitomized the frontier spirit of exploration, trade, and settlement.